Supports: racks – Specially mounted – Suspended type
Reexamination Certificate
1998-06-29
2001-03-06
Chin-Shue, Alvin (Department: 3634)
Supports: racks
Specially mounted
Suspended type
Reexamination Certificate
active
06196399
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to devices for hanging clothes and, more particularly, is concerned with a multiple clothesline hanger holder device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is often desirable to air dry clothing which is wet such as from a wash. Clotheslines are still widely used to dry garments in this way. An article of clothing may be hung directly on the clothesline but oftentimes marks will be left in the clothing. A preferred way is to employ a hanger to support the article of clothing which hanger is then hung directly on the clothesline.
Many clotheslines, however, are not taut and tend to sag or are otherwise flexible and thereby may cause hangers to slide laterally along the clothesline toward the center thereof which results in garments becoming clustered. Such grouping together of articles of clothing may inhibit the drying process. The movement of hangers occurs by the force of gravity toward the lowest point which is normally the center of the clothesline. Such movement may leave portions of the clothesline adjacent to its ends unusable.
A variety of devices have been developed over the years in an attempt to prevent movement of hangers along clotheslines and to thereby make the full length of a clothesline usable and to keep garments spaced from one another to enhance the drying process. Representative examples of these prior art devices and the like are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,092,121 to Johnson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,915,274 to Gustitus, U.S. Pat. No. 2,980,383 to Anderson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,085,691 to Smith, U.S. Pat. No. 3,147,865 to Zimmerli et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,184,204 to Dachinger, U.S. Pat. No. 3,193,235 to Jensen, U.S. Pat. No. 3,731,809 to Saenger, U.S. Pat. No. 4,139,174 to Olson and U.S. Pat. No. 4,189,055 to Nohzuka. While these prior art devices appear to be satisfactory in use for the specific purposes for which they were designed, none of them seem to provide an optimum solution for the problem at hand.
Consequently, a need still exists for a device which provides a solution to the aforementioned problem in the prior art without introducing any new problems in place thereof.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a multiple clothesline hanger holder device designed to satisfy the aforementioned need. The multiple hanger holder device of the present invention has structural rigidity and has an elongated configuration. The multiple hanger holder device thereby retains garments on a clothesline spaced apart from one another and prevents hangers from sliding toward one another and the resulting clustering of garments. The multiple hanger holder device thereby improves the clothing drying process and allows the full length of the clothesline to be used for hanging garments.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a multiple clothesline hanger holder device, comprising an elongated body made of a substantially rigid material and having a transverse width and a longitudinal length greater than the transverse width and being fixed in a configuration wherein the elongated body is folded towards itself along its longitudinal length.
More particularly, the elongated body includes an upper portion and a lower portion. The upper portion of the elongated body is substantially in the form of a tube or is generally tubular-shaped and extends the full longitudinal length of the elongated body. The tubular shaped upper portion has a lower side, a pair of opposite open ends and a pair of spaced apart opposite lower edges defining a longitudinal slot extending along the lower side and extending the longitudinal length of the elongated body between the opposite open ends such that a clothesline may be inserted through the slot and into the tubular-shaped upper portion of the elongated body, resulting in the clothesline extending through the tubular-shaped upper portion and in opposite directions from the opposite open ends thereof.
The lower portion of the elongated body is substantially in the form of a pair of opposite flanges. The flanges are attached to and extend downwardly from the opposite lower edges of the tubular-shaped upper portion defining the longitudinal slot and along the lower side of the tubular-shaped upper portion. The flanges extend the longitudinal length of the elongated body and define a passageway therebetween leading to the longitudinal slot of the tubular-shaped upper portion. Each flange defines a plurality of spaced apart holes therethrough aligned with like holes through the other flange such that clothesline hangers may be inserted through respective pairs of adjacent aligned holes on the flanges for hanging clothes on the clothesline. Each flange also has a substantially flat configuration. The flanges are further in substantially parallel and uniformly spaced apart relation to one another. The passageway between the flanges thus has a substantially uniform transverse width throughout the longitudinal length of the elongated body.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein there is shown and described an illustrative embodiment of the invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2092121 (1937-09-01), Johnson
patent: 2523682 (1950-09-01), Corwin
patent: 2604999 (1952-07-01), Sutton
patent: 2605000 (1952-07-01), Tomarin
patent: 2915274 (1959-12-01), Gustitus
patent: 2980383 (1961-04-01), Anderson et al.
patent: 3085691 (1963-04-01), Smith
patent: 3147865 (1964-09-01), Zimmerli et al.
patent: 3184204 (1965-05-01), Dachinger
patent: 3193235 (1965-07-01), Jensen
patent: 3731809 (1973-05-01), Saenger
patent: 4139174 (1979-02-01), Olson
patent: 4189055 (1980-02-01), Nohzuka
patent: 4415093 (1983-11-01), Livingston
Chin-Shue Alvin
Flanagan John K.
Flanagan John R.
Flanagan & Flanagan
Purol Sarah
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